BajaNomad

GULP

Skipjack Joe - 8-24-2007 at 11:13 AM

Here's a discovery of mine that may be useful to you guys. There was a post about a month ago requesting information about how to fish the surf in baja.

The suject is Berkeley's GULP saltwater worms. I had read about them on the internet and found them at the Longfin in Tustin.




This stuff really works. They were good beyond my wildest dreams. In fact, it worked too well. Many of the takes resulted in hookups in the gill area. They not only took these worms, they ingested them.

But let me start from the begining. I hooked up with a bunch of very experienced surf fishermen and fished the suds for a week. They fished with sand crabs, clams, and mussels. Alex and I only fished with these rubber things I bought on a whim. I was able to match all of the live bait except for mussels.

I caught halibut, yellowfin croaker (3 pounders), corbina, and spotfin croaker on the stuff in 12-18 inches of water. On light tackle, it was a blast. These worms are scented. Personally I don't know why anything would want anything that smelled that bad, but they do.

Our new friends tipped us off to fishing the rising tide at night. They wore miner lamps over their hats to help them get around. It was strange casting into black space and not really knowing how big the surf was and where your bait landed. But the fish were really close in. Virtually at your feet. The point is, though, that they couldn't see what they were eating. They just zeroed in on this bait in complete darkness.

Below is a picture of my son with a corbina caught on GULP:


Cypress - 8-24-2007 at 11:30 AM

Skipjack Joe Thanks for the fishing tip.:spingrin: That's a nice corbina your son has there.:spingrin:

toneart - 8-24-2007 at 12:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Here's a discovery of mine that may be useful to you guys. There was a post about a month ago requesting information about how to fish the surf in baja.

The suject is Berkeley's GULP saltwater worms. I had read about them on the internet and found them at the Longfin in Tustin.




This stuff really works. They were good beyond my wildest dreams. In fact, it worked too well. Many of the takes resulted in hookups in the gill area. They not only took these worms, they ingested them.

But let me start from the begining. I hooked up with a bunch of very experienced surf fishermen and fished the suds for a week. They fished with sand crabs, clams, and mussels. Alex and I only fished with these rubber things I bought on a whim. I was able to match all of the live bait except for mussels.

I caught halibut, yellowfin croaker (3 pounders), corbina, and spotfin croaker on the stuff in 12-18 inches of water. On light tackle, it was a blast. These worms are scented. Personally I don't know why anything would want anything that smelled that bad, but they do.

Our new friends tipped us off to fishing the rising tide at night. They wore miner lamps over their hats to help them get around. It was strange casting into black space and not really knowing how big the surf was and where your bait landed. But the fish were really close in. Virtually at your feet. The point is, though, that they couldn't see what they were eating. They just zeroed in on this bait in complete darkness.

Below is a picture of my son with a corbina caught on GULP:




Have you ever tried them in deeper water, off a boat?

woody with a view - 8-24-2007 at 12:26 PM

nice fish! gulp is something else, the sandcrabs they make work really well, and the squid, and the.......

BajaBruno - 8-24-2007 at 12:30 PM

There is a bottom-fishing boat in north Baja that used to report frequently on Mexfish.com. He claimed to be using Gulp exclusively and doing very well.

I've tried them a few times down deep and caught nothing, but that's just me.

baitcast - 8-24-2007 at 12:44 PM

Welcome back Igor,I see you got into the GULP craze their whole line of saltwater gulp stuff is working great except the sandcrab,those fish have always been on the inside of the break.

The guys on the socal beachs are doing great with this stuff even when the surfers are thick as fleas,I use to watch and chase those corbina when they were tailing in mere inches of water .

Another TIP............YFC and BUTTS go gaga for K/M,s in blue/chrome and orange/chrome!!!!!!!!but there is a trick to working these and if you don,t work them right nada,this pretains to the west side only.

When do we get to see the report?
BAITCAST

Skipjack Joe - 8-24-2007 at 01:44 PM

Actually I started out with kastmasters and they worked real well but fish seemed to get used to them pretty quickly in the surf. I found I had to keep moving to have them stay effective. GULP was different. They just inhaled that stuff. You'd get these hard strikes with the fish being hooked before you even get the chance to set the hook.

There were schools of fish moving in and around the mouths of the esteros and the kastmasters worked really well in those situations.

I probably caught about a dozen bonefish this trip. Up to maybe a pound and a half. I had heard that these fish don't fight as well in baja as in the tropics. I didn't find that to be the case Robin. They're just considerably smaller and in deeper water. But they gave a good account of themselves. I find them to be beautiful.

baitcast - 8-24-2007 at 01:52 PM

Hope you took some pics to share with us!,like I told you I have only caught a couple of dink bones at LAbay would like to get a bigger one some time.

Skipjack Joe - 8-24-2007 at 03:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by baitcast
Hope you took some pics to share with us!,like I told you I have only caught a couple of dink bones at LAbay would like to get a bigger one some time.


Thanks for directing me to that socal surf fishing site baitcast before my departure! I got most of the latest info on fishing methods from those guys.

I don't really have too many hero shots with fish this time, except of my son with a large yellowtail ("I got a sea lion, dad" ) and it doesn't fit well into this surf fishing thread.

Natalie Ann - 8-24-2007 at 03:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I don't really have too many hero shots with fish this time, except of my son with a large yellowtail ("I got a sea lion, dad" ) and it doesn't fit well into this surf fishing thread.



Oh come one, Igor, give us the picture of Alex with the sea lion! That is such a great shot of him with the corbina... and you did good on the GULP image, too. Nice to have you back amogst us heathens.:biggrin::dudette:

The sea lion

Skipjack Joe - 8-24-2007 at 09:28 PM

... turned out to be a hefty yellowtail. He couldn't lift it for the photo.

Fear not, nomads, he's a Dodger fan!

YT_vertical.jpg - 49kB

Another attempt

Skipjack Joe - 8-24-2007 at 09:39 PM

... at lifting the fish for the hero shot. I finally gave up and just took this picture. It gives you a pretty good idea of it's size.

He wanted to quit several times but I encouraged him, telling him it was close at hand. I helped with the landing, Alex resuscitated it, and we both watched it swim off. We like yellowtail sashimi but that was just way too much meat for the two of us.

YT_horizontal.jpg - 49kB

BajaBruno - 8-24-2007 at 09:42 PM

Good looking kid, Skipjack, and he is obviously getting good mentoring. You both have reason to be proud. Darn nice fish, too.

DianaT - 8-24-2007 at 10:35 PM

The only thing nicer than the pictures of Alex was meeting Alex---well, and also meeting you. :tumble::spingrin:

Those yellow tail "attempted" hero pictures are just classic. What a great experience for both of you.

Thanks---looking forward to seeing more photos of your trip, and looking forward to your next visit.

John and Diane

Don Alley - 8-25-2007 at 08:01 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by lencho
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I helped with the landing, Alex resuscitated it, and we both watched it swim off.

Good for you guys!

Noble as catch-and-release sounds, I've always wondered about the real impact on the fish; does anybody have concrete info on chances of survival for a fish that has been traumatized in that way?

--Larry


There has not ben a lot of data collected on release mortality of salt water species.

Tons of studies has been done on trout, and these more delicate fish have generally high (90%+) survival rates if they are not gut hooked on bait or released into fast currents. One study of Yellowstone River cutthroat concluded that the average fish in the test section was caught seven times a year.

I have recently seen release data on billfish, good results and exceptional with circle hooks.

Also, some studies were done recently on rockfish, that were brought up from depth, so that stomachs and eyes protuded. Surprisingly, if lowered for a short period of time to deeper water, survival was good.

There have been some work done with calico bass which also release well.



[Edited on 8-25-2007 by Don Alley]

[Edited on 8-25-2007 by Don Alley]

Russ - 8-25-2007 at 08:13 AM

:spingrin: ----
"Noble as catch-and-release sounds, I've always wondered about the real impact on the fish; does anybody have concrete info on chances of survival for a fish that has been traumatized in that way?"

--Larry
That's why fish "school"**** They learn about things related to stress too. Is that "concrete info"?:?:

[Edited on 8-25-2007 by Russ]

Skipjack Joe - 8-25-2007 at 08:36 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by lencho
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I helped with the landing, Alex resuscitated it, and we both watched it swim off.

Good for you guys!

Noble as catch-and-release sounds, I've always wondered about the real impact on the fish; does anybody have concrete info on chances of survival for a fish that has been traumatized in that way?

--Larry


Larry,

There are various studies I have read that the survival rate is usually very high. I don't have the info at hand and am too lazy to do the research. Most of the blue-ribbon trout rivers in Montana/Idaho/Wyoming is all catch and release and those rivers flourished after it replace put-and-take as a management tool.

Personally I think it depends on how it was done and which species you're dealing with. A trout would never be able to survive the handling you see in those pictures. They need to be photographed while still in the water. The whole process has to be done very quickly with them. All has to be ready before the trout is close at hand. And that's with a lip hooked fish. I know this for a fact because we lost a couple this year in the Kamloops area. The gills were moving but no amount of resuscitatiion could save them.

You can tell by how the fish acts in your hand.

Ocean fish are much hardier. A trout hooked in the gills is as good as dead. They bleed immediately. I've removed many gill hooked ocean fish without any aparent damage, fish that swim away vigorously.

The ethics of catch-and-release, or fishing in general is a different matter. It's a personal moral choice each individual makes about what he considers right or wrong and those discussions seem fruitless to me. I've had many over the years. What seems to be true to me is that the 'dye-in-the-wool' fishermen usually support catch and release. Casual fishermen, those that can take it or leave it, are the ones that seem to be bothered by fishing in general.

Sorry, some has been answered by Don while I was writing.

[Edited on 8-25-2007 by Skipjack Joe]

rts551 - 8-25-2007 at 08:41 AM

Igor

Glad to see you survived your stingray encounter and caught some fish! The red tide should have affected your Campo Rene fishing.. Did it?

Ralph

Skipjack Joe - 8-25-2007 at 09:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by rts551
Igor

Glad to see you survived your stingray encounter and caught some fish! The red tide should have affected your Campo Rene fishing.. Did it?

Ralph


Good to hear from you Ralph,

And nice to have met you. We never fished the estero as the conditions seemed bad and the wound was still healing.

I was thinking of writing a post about how it feels to go through something like that. In a perverse way, it was the highlight of my trip and something I'll remember for years to come. It's been 3 weeks now and things still don't feel right down there.

Simply Amazing

DianaT - 8-25-2007 at 10:18 AM

How can a really nice thread that starts out with information about successful bait and a picture of a very happy young man, and then a great couple of pictures of that same young man struggling with his catch of the year start turning into a stupid discussion with the usual nasty jabs----

Why not start a new thread when someone wants to argue and name call---gees----

JMHO

Natalie Ann - 8-25-2007 at 12:20 PM

That's a fun shot of Alex with the yellowtail sea lion - looks like that baby left the fisherman plum worn out.

And kudos to your son on each of those fishies pictured and all the others I know he caught. He seems to be growing into a fisherman of some regard.:yes:

losfrailes - 8-25-2007 at 02:26 PM

Ah JD

You oughta know by now that there is a very special group of people on this site that just wait and lurk for an opportunity to jump on a thread like this one and either try to turn it towards their own agenda or to make something negative out of it.

Its the nature of the beast I think.

Those pics and the story of this young man were so damn nice to see and I earlier mentioned to a friend via chat that it was interesting that noone had jumped on it yet with some negative comment.

I was just a little quick in my judgement.

Pescador - 8-25-2007 at 07:11 PM

Larry, I have been fishing the Sea of Cortez since the mid 50's and we started doing some tagging work with billfish and discovered that a very high percentage of these fish survived. As mentioned, that survival factor went much higher when circle hooks came into being. While we have had some trouble tagging and then recatching yellowtail, I have actually caught quite a few yellowtail that did have broken off hooks in their mouth and they had been in there for quite a little while, so I suspect that the survival rate is very good on yellowtail as they do not have an air bladder and are able to go up and down in the water column with no problem.
I could not be prouder of Aliosha as we have been friends for a long time. He used to come over on my porch and we would discuss all of the fish in Gene Kira's book, "The Baja Catch" and I was even more surprised when I found out that he was 5 and could not read. At 6 he had more enthusiasm for fishing than almost anybody I have ever met and needed to be roped into the boat to keep from jumping overboard after the fish.

Skipjack Joe - 8-25-2007 at 09:14 PM

Jim,

Alex really wanted me to post this picture of the yellowtail ("I think this is the BIGGEST fish I have ever caught"). So I did. Some day I hope he will understand that catching the small ones is just as good.

Anyway, even prior to your post I was remembering the first time you two met. Alex was always my ambassador at all the RV parks. He always knew far more people than I ever did. When I finally met you it struck me that you were one of the most energetic people I had ever met. But I think you met your match with Alex. He followed you everywhere, talking endlessly, giving you no rest. If you were cleaning fish he stood by asking questions. If you went in your camper he stood by the door waiting for you to come out. He was 'in your face' every minute of the day. You couldn't even take your afternoon siesta without him trying to follow you. The expression on your face one day was classic. It said HELP. Heh, heh, I thought to myself, from my resting position in the camper.

Even now I smile as I remember that first encounter.

woody with a view - 8-25-2007 at 09:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Jim,

Alex really wanted me to post this picture of the yellowtail ("I think this is the BIGGEST fish I have ever caught"). So I did. Some day I hope he will understand that catching the small ones is just as good.

Anyway, even prior to your post I was remembering the first time you two met. Alex was always my ambassador at all the RV parks. He always knew far more people than I ever did. When I finally met you it struck me that you were one of the most energetic people I had ever met. But I think you met your match with Alex. He followed you everywhere, talking endlessly, giving you no rest. If you were cleaning fish he stood by asking questions. If you went in your camper he stood by the door waiting for you to come out. He was 'in your face' every minute of the day. You couldn't even take your afternoon siesta without him trying to follow you. The expression on your face one day was classic. It said HELP. Heh, heh, I thought to myself, from my resting position in the camper.

Even now I smile as I remember that first encounter.



watching the next generation blossom is worth all the hard times, no?

Pescador - 8-26-2007 at 07:52 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody in ob[/i


watching the next generation blossom is worth all the hard times, no?


Actually it is part of the cycle. When I was young my parents drug me to San Carlos (by Guaymas) and I used to go out and fish with some of the guys that fished for yellowtail in their small cartoppers. They always loved taking me out cause I was so full of "pee and vinegar" and they seemed to live vicariously through my energy. When Alex and I first met, I thought I could see it starting all over again. This kid was like me, standing in the front of the boat, trying to get every little bit of information about how to catch another fish, wondering why thing like tides and moon position affected the fish, comparing the action of various lures, reliving the fight and action of the fish, talking about the sights and smells, and wondering about what great adventure tomorrow would bring.
So Alex is truly blessed that he has the chance to experience all of this with his dad but the true blessing is Igor's in that he gets to experience all of this through Alex's eyes.

DENNIS - 8-26-2007 at 08:01 AM

I wonder if that "GULP" company could make sushi? It's all bait.

Ken Bondy - 8-26-2007 at 08:27 AM

Igor

I really enjoyed the pictures of Alex, your descriptions of the trip (more please!), and the positive parts of this thread. He seems like a great kid!

I have some minor input regarding the viability of catch and release. Somewhere around 1970 I was fishing from Rancho Buena Vista and caught a medium-sized striped marlin (about 100 pounds). He hit a trolled fishbait. He was on for about 40 minutes, during which time he jumped spectacularly and tailwalked 4 or 5 times. When he got to the boat we could not see the hook, but since the fight was so lively, we felt he was not gut-hooked so the line was cut. We noticed that he was tagged, and a small red plastic tube was removed by the skipper before turning him loose. He slowly drifted away, disappearing in blue water.

The tube was, interestingly, from the California Department of Fish and Game. It contained a small rolled-up form which I filled out (just name and address, date of release, location, as I recall). I gave the form to the RBV skipper and soon forgot about it.

About a year later I got a letter from the CA Department of Fish and Game saying that the fish I released was caught on a Japanese long-line off the northern island of Japan. So he not only survived the catch and release in the southern Sea of Cortez, but swam across the entire Pacific ocean to meet his fate in Japan about a year later.

So I can offer one personal first-hand experience which suggests that catch and release can be successful with billfish.

Thanks again, Igor, for your delightful and informative posts,

++Ken++


[Edited on 8-26-2007 by Ken Bondy]

Tomas Tierra - 8-26-2007 at 09:40 AM

Gulp, "400 times the natural scent"

Come on boys, using that stuff is like cheating , no?

If the tide is wrong, or the earth is to dry to get a bait, isn't that the natural advantage the fish should be given?? Factory made scent???
Not this angler!!:fire:!!

TT

Memories

baitcast - 8-26-2007 at 10:22 AM

I have watched Alex for three years now and enjoyed each and every trip he has made with his father,an each and every time it has brought back some of my earliest memories as a very young boy during the war years,beating the brush stream fishing for eastern brook in northern wash.and Ida.

He took me on pack in trips with the guys to the clearwater river,into BC and all points in between,O the thrill of it all,and have been hooked ever since.

I tried to do the same for my kids,it was as much fun for me as it was for them,should have done more,but it must have been enough because to this day we speak of it often and laugh,remarks like "dad do you remember that big triggerfish I caught"or "how long did it me to catch that big yellowtail" 10# an I say at atleast an hour and so on.

So Igor you keep posting pics of Alex and I will keep on enjoying them.........C/R works,your friend Robin

baitcast - 8-26-2007 at 10:32 AM

O NO..........Not a another one:lol::lol:::rolleyes::rolleyes:

baitcast - 8-26-2007 at 11:29 AM

Tomas where you been? scents have been around before you were born! Is chumming cheating also?

You never chummed? you never been on a boat that chummed? and if they did, did you stop fishing in protest:lol:

woody with a view - 8-26-2007 at 01:15 PM

just got some of the gulp worms. gonna go try them out on a beach this weekend. i'd rather be catching, not fishing so whatever gives me a leg up, well that's a benefit to being on the top of the food chain. we will most likely be CandR because we are taking all of our food with us this time and will be "catching" more to keep my wife occupied in between my paddle-outs.

prayforsurf!

edit: p.s. i got the watermelon color:?:

[Edited on 8-26-2007 by woody in ob]

rts551 - 8-26-2007 at 06:09 PM

Lots of different types of "GULPS" on EBAY. Now to figure out a delivery method South!

Tomas Tierra - 8-26-2007 at 09:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by baitcast
Tomas where you been? scents have been around before you were born! Is chumming cheating also?

You never chummed? you never been on a boat that chummed? and if they did, did you stop fishing in protest:lol:


What does "chumming" and 400 times the natural scent have to do with each other??

And yeah ,I know the fresh water scent stuff has been around forever. I don't fish there.
Salt water scents for 41 years? really?
Never used 'em. I catch enough fish to support my family, one at a time, hook and line. No scent ( maybe my own when their really biting:biggrin:). natural bait is, well, more natural...

Pescador - 8-27-2007 at 08:06 AM

Oh my God, this is as bad as the "purists" who seem to think that they are really super fishermen because they do not stoop to the lowly level of using bait to fool fish and instead outfit themselves with expensive outfits and become" Flyfishermen", who go out with feathers tied to a hook and are somehow more "holy" because they fool a fish (who has a brain the size of a peanut) into biting a piece of feather. I am proficient in most if not all types of "pescatorial pursuit" but I try not to get too involved in the ego trip of my superior fishing ability because I use one method over another on any given day. It is a personal challenge issue and it is at best pretentious to assume that there is some kind of status inherent with the method. Not too long ago we had the same kind of problem with the "holiness or lack of" with spearfishing.
Igor was sharing some basic information about something that he discovered quite by accident and I think the basic information was worthwhile and potentially valuable, even if GULP is not too esoteric.:rolleyes:

Tomas Tierra - 8-27-2007 at 08:17 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Tomas Tierra
Gulp, "400 times the natural scent"

Come on boys, using that stuff is like cheating , no?

If the tide is wrong, or the earth is to dry to get a bait, isn't that the natural advantage the fish should be given?? Factory made scent???
Not this angler!!:fire:!!

TT

Russ - 8-27-2007 at 08:38 AM

Sorry to continue off subject,,, A little piece of bait? That's nothing to get excited about. Now here is something you should sink you teeth into:

100_0164.jpg - 44kB

Cypress - 8-27-2007 at 09:08 AM

Russ What species are those seine boats targeting?:(

baitcast - 8-27-2007 at 09:23 AM

Cypress.............ANYTHING

You are right Russ.........Now that is a REAL PROBLEM!!!

I am currently using Gulp smelt for stripers and yes I feel I must be cheating:lol:

Russ - 8-27-2007 at 10:56 AM

Cypress, baitcast is right. Mostly the target the sardines but this year they just kept setting on any boils. So it appeared they took the pinhead anchove too. Since we are at the mouth of Concepcion Bay they are scooping up all the juvenile fishes along with any thing that happens to be working the boils. Last night I had dinner with a commercial fisherman and he told me there is no protection in this area from inshore trawlers/seiners. He agreed that Bahia Concepcion and the Santa Inez Bay should have some protection. Here is a slide show/movie I made. I have posted it before and was told if you don't have Quick Time installed it wont work.
http://homepage.mac.com/russinbaja/iMovieTheater14.html

Cypress - 8-27-2007 at 01:37 PM

Russ Thanks for trying, but my computer is on "slow time". Looks like it's gonna be the same old worn out story.:no: The net boats will, wipe out most everything. When they can't pay for the fuel and all the related costs of operation they'll go out of business. The fish will make a comeback. :yes: Might take a while.:yes:

Skipjack Joe - 8-27-2007 at 03:31 PM

Did any of you ever know Mike Fong? Whistler, you probably did.

He was a fisherman extraordinair from my part of the world, central california.

He was a baby boomer like most of us who died just a few years back after a very long fishing career. Anyay, he once wrote that he felt that fishfinders was cheating when they came out and it took him a bit of time to get used to them. I can really understand where he was coming from as they give an angler a tremendous advantage that it formerly took experienced fishermen years to get.

Now, it's ho-hum. Everyone uses them. It's part of sportfishing.

Personally, I like challenges but not for their own sake. I love flyfishing mostly because of the sensation of the bend of that long rod. I also like the fact that it relates to entomology. Cause I like bugs.

I never thought of scents as cheating, but I can see your point. Thanks for bringing it up. Food for thought. I'll chew on it for a bit.

P.S. You're right Jim. There are advantages to having kids late in life. They infuse you with the energy that is slowly leaving us. Maybe that's cheating too. I don't know.

[Edited on 8-27-2007 by Skipjack Joe]

bajabum - 8-28-2007 at 03:46 PM

I personally do not use any live bait, artificial bait or lures at all :saint:. Lures are completely unnatural and if the fish breaks your line a man made (oh my god) piece of stuff ends up in the ocean. Just think...if every fisherman lost 1 lure, the worlds oceans would probably be 2 feet shallower and could possibly speed up global warming :o. I refuse to use artificail bait (like gulp) because its ummm, well artificail and using science and modern day technolgy wouldnt satisfy my primal urges to catch a fish and using live bait to catch a fish...I guess that just not right either, poor little live baits. The only way to catch a fish (especially if posting about it on this bd) is to use natural, hand spun, horse hair line with a hook carved out of an old piece of bone found laying on the beech. If you cast out (by hand of course) and retrieve it in just the right way the natural action drives the fish (singular of course, as in 1 fish, I wouldnt want to waste) absolutely carazzzy! :P:lol::P

comitan - 8-28-2007 at 04:47 PM

For lures I have seen Mexicans take a piece of cactus and scape it till there was only white threads left and tie it around a hook for a lure. It works.

JonS - 8-30-2007 at 05:23 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by lencho
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I helped with the landing, Alex resuscitated it, and we both watched it swim off.

Good for you guys!

Noble as catch-and-release sounds, I've always wondered about the real impact on the fish; does anybody have concrete info on chances of survival for a fish that has been traumatized in that way?

--Larry


I have caught fish that have been released before alot. I've removed hooks and lures from fish that must have broken off. Also I lost a fish at my kayak due to it biting through the wire. It ws a large 5/0 texposer hook on a plastic worm. I put wire on and the same lure and fished the same spot and the next hookup was the same fish with my hook in the corner of its mouth. So releasing fish does work.

Cypress - 8-30-2007 at 07:44 AM

The mortality rate is higher for fish with swim bladders caught in deep water and released on the surface. You can rig a quick-release contraption which will release them in deeper water where the pressure forces the bladder back into place.:D:tumble:

Round Hooks

CaboRon - 9-3-2007 at 12:22 PM

:?: Could someone explain the term "roundhooks" :?:

Thanks,

CaboRon

Cypress - 9-3-2007 at 12:32 PM

CaboRon. Circle hooks would be the more common term. They'll hook a fish in the corner of the mouth rather than the gut.:yes:

Oso - 9-3-2007 at 12:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaboRon
:?: Could someone explain the term "roundhooks" :?:

Thanks,

CaboRon

Someone's term for circle hooks.

CaboRon - 9-4-2007 at 01:47 PM

Thanks for the explainaiton...... never have fished and released.... only fished and eaten.... guess i won't be using circle hooks.
Guess it's a nice idea if you aren't hunting for dinner.

- CaboRon

Don Alley - 9-4-2007 at 04:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaboRon
Thanks for the explainaiton...... never have fished and released.... only fished and eaten.... guess i won't be using circle hooks.
Guess it's a nice idea if you aren't hunting for dinner.

- CaboRon


Releasing isn't the only advantage of circle hooks. Fish hooked in the corner of the mouth are far less likely to cut or fray the line with their teeth. Also, the corner of the mouth is a very secure place to hook and hold a fish.

Also, there are some fishermen who will not eat any fish they catch, prefering to release SOME fish as safely as possible, because the size or species may not be what they are targeting for dinner. If you are fishing offshore for dorado, you may wish to release an inadvertantly hooked billfish, or a dorado that is larger or smaller than you desire. Inshore, you may wish to release an inadvertantly caught jack or roosterfish, or a puffer.

Taco de Baja - 9-4-2007 at 04:43 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaboRon
Thanks for the explainaiton...... never have fished and released.... only fished and eaten....

- CaboRon


Sometimes you have to fish and release.....
I got this one last year:


and his even smaller sibling this year...Heck, my lure was bigger than he was :lol::lol:

[Edited on 9-4-2007 by Taco de Baja]

Skipjack Joe - 9-4-2007 at 04:51 PM

A small fish for a small lady ...

Mine decided to see just how sharp those halibut teeth get. It was not a good idea.

CaboRon - 9-5-2007 at 09:45 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Don Alley
Quote:
Originally posted by CaboRon
Thanks for the explainaiton...... never have fished and released.... only fished and eaten.... guess i won't be using circle hooks.
Guess it's a nice idea if you aren't hunting for dinner.

- CaboRon


Releasing isn't the only advantage of circle hooks. Fish hooked in the corner of the mouth are far less likely to cut or fray the line with their teeth. Also, the corner of the mouth is a very secure place to hook and hold a fish.

Also, there are some fishermen who will not eat any fish they catch, prefering to release SOME fish as safely as possible, because the size or species may not be what they are targeting for dinner. If you are fishing offshore for dorado, you may wish to release an inadvertantly hooked billfish, or a dorado that is larger or smaller than you desire. Inshore, you may wish to release an inadvertantly caught jack or roosterfish, or a puffer.


Thanks for the clarification. I agree with your comments


CaboRon

I've got a tackle box full of snell hookes :(

Just checked the wal-mart and they don't have anything labeled circle hooks. They do however have Gulp .!:wow:








[Edited on 9-5-2007 by CaboRon]

JonS - 9-26-2007 at 12:53 PM

As Don said circle hooks are easy to use as most fish will be hooked in the corner of the mouth. Also since the fish hook themselves I find that my hookup ratio is much higher.

Diver - 9-26-2007 at 12:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaboRon
Just checked the wal-mart and they don't have anything labeled circle hooks.


Guess you'll just have to go shopping online !! :biggrin:
I love any excuse to buy fishing gear !

.

Osprey - 9-26-2007 at 02:22 PM

A perfect example for why to use circle hooks happens once in awhile around here. For 3 weeks or so there was a nice tuna hole just offshore producing lots of everything including lots of little girl dorado caught on sardines. I think, once they swallow it, the angler cuts the line to release it, the fish probably dies. Dorado have a wide plate in the mouth so circle hooks have to make their way behind the plate to work to the corners of the mouth to be effective -- here it gets complicated because you don't normally "set" circle hooks like you do J hooks. They were killing literally hundreds of junior dorado every day around here while using J hooks.

JonS - 9-27-2007 at 05:22 AM

Back in '04 I did a week trip kayak fishing out of Hotel Colorado. I used 2/0 circle hooks exclusively. I caught lots of Dorado, yellowfin, skippies and a sailfish. All were hooked in the corner of the mouth. I use circles a lot. Eagle claw or gamakatsu.

Circle hooks have been around a long time. I was first introduced to them by Norn Tanaguichi in the mid 80s when I lived in San Diego. He said it's what the long liners used. I still have a box of those long line circles as I've never used them. They were very large and thick.

Fishing

wessongroup - 8-27-2009 at 06:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Russ
Cypress, baitcast is right. Mostly the target the sardines but this year they just kept setting on any boils. So it appeared they took the pinhead anchove too. Since we are at the mouth of Concepcion Bay they are scooping up all the juvenile fishes along with any thing that happens to be working the boils. Last night I had dinner with a commercial fisherman and he told me there is no protection in this area from inshore trawlers/seiners. He agreed that Bahia Concepcion and the Santa Inez Bay should have some protection. Here is a slide show/movie I made. I have posted it before and was told if you don't have Quick Time installed it wont work.
http://homepage.mac.com/russinbaja/iMovieTheater14.html


Thanks Russ, pretty chilling to watch and consider the impact

mulegemichael - 8-27-2009 at 07:30 PM

Back to the Gulp...sorry...i've used it many times on many species and it almost ALWAYS comes through...i see no reason to NOT use it, if it catches me fish...and...we keep very few of the fish we catch...we can only eat so much...ya don't have to kill it, folks, to have fun.

Sharksbaja - 8-27-2009 at 11:30 PM

Good thoughts there Micheal

Gulp

wessongroup - 8-28-2009 at 05:51 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mulegemichael
Back to the Gulp...sorry...i've used it many times on many species and it almost ALWAYS comes through...i see no reason to NOT use it, if it catches me fish...and...we keep very few of the fish we catch...we can only eat so much...ya don't have to kill it, folks, to have fun.


Never tried one, but with what I've read.... it's just what I'm looking for in bait for surf fishing;D;D;D